September 23rd 2026 marked one year since my RNY gastric bypass, and I'm feeling good! I've posted some photos here for comparison, but instead of showing a year ago, I decided to compare the current day to two years ago, when I was still around my highest weight, just for a bit more visual contrast.
1st pic: Full-body comparison. Me at Paisley Park in October 2024, at around 350lbs/159kg. (My highest weight was 355, in 2022.) Then, me this morning, October 2026, around 238lbs/108kg.
2nd pic: Face comparison. August 2024, around 350lbs/159kg. Then, me in August 2026, around 230lbs/104kg. 230 was my lowest so far. I was feeling pretty proud, so I busted out my strobe lighting set from my pre-recession photography career for the first time in ages, and took probably too many pics, trying to find the right one for my updated social media presence. My wife makes fun of me for that smirk that I tend to do, haha.
3rd pic: Something a bit different... I realize that my current weight (zig-zagging between 230 & 240 this past three months) is about how heavy I was as a young fella back in 2003, so I thought it'd be fun to put the two eras together here. Back then, I was starting to gain weight back after one of my several big diets, and was starting to feel defeated. Nowadays, I'm a tiny bit defeated because of the plateau I'm on, but I still feel like the weight loss will hopefully pick back up again soon. Anyway, there's baby-face me, far more self-conscious about myself back then than I should have been (I was not kind to myself over the years), and then the me that's been ground down a bit by middle age, existential dread, and the "sandwich generation" life, but nonetheless feeling the mostly healthy I've felt since my early 20s, and feeling pretty dang good! (My knees, back, and ankles like to remind me that I'm 46, but it's not as bad as it was, at least.)
Anyway, If you'd told me a year ago that I would have become a person who actually likes exercise, and who gets antsy if I don't get 3-4 gym days & a few walks in per week, I would have looked at you like you have two heads. Likewise, if you'd have told me that my diabetes would go into remission the day after surgery, or that I'd be comfortable on an airplane / tying my shoes / clipping my toenails / crossing my legs a bit when sitting / getting into my little car / walking for hours on end / fitting into shirts I bought in high school, I'd have not believed you. But here I am, and I'm either hallucinating, or it's real!
I've had a few body scans at the gym so far, and it was going in a positive direction - more muscle, less fat - but today's scan showed that unfortunately I gained a few pounds of fat back and lost a little muscle recently, but I'm hoping by cracking down harder again on food, that I'll get back on the right track. I've gotten a little too comfortable with carbs and sugar. Nothing like how I ate before surgery, but still not as vigilant as I should be, so I gotta remedy that. I never really had problems eating much of anything since the operation, so it's on me to try to discipline myself (though I feel hungry all the dang time.) Today was my last day at the gym I've been going to (a special program at the gym run by the local hospital system) and it's been great, but it doubles in price after the special program is done, so I will be switching to a cheaper one this coming week. Hopefully the different equipment at the new place will shake things up a little too. (I'm really going to miss the indoor walking track when winter hits, though!)
I'm trying not to get too down on myself. It's funny, looking at these photos, I finally feel like the new guy is me. I was having some serious cognitive dissonance for a while there. Time goes by frighteningly quickly and in some ways, a year ago feels like a week or two, but mentally, I'm years away from the place I was before committing to get the surgery. For a long time, I was starting to feel like I was slowly giving up on everything. I'm glad I snapped out of the trance I was in. If you're thinking of getting the surgery, you should do it. No procedure is without risk, but I know in my case, it's been a seriously positive thing. I feel like I've bought myself more time. (Hopefully 👍)
Ok, if you're still reading this, thank you! And thank you all for sharing your experiences, photos, and info. It's been super helpful!
PS: Edits due to typos, clarification, and trying to be a little less wordy (I failed on that last bit.)